Deviant consumption meets consumption-as-usual: The construction of deviance and normality within consumer research

Abstract

In the past decades, numerous disciplines have investigated so-called ethical and alternative forms of consumption. This has led to confusion about what terms to use and how to interpret the multiple ways in which people act within and upon the market. This article presents the first comprehensive review of the main concepts used in these discussions. Then, drawing on critical theory, in particular on Marcuse and Horkheimer, the article argues that the current debate over consumption lacks critical self-reflection with regard to the uses of these concepts. The second part of the article shows how the analytic structure of the debate over consumption creates an artificial difference between forms of consumption deemed deviant and those judged normal. By disregarding this artificiality, the article argues, research normalizes individual consumption as the sphere of political action and ends up legitimating forms of consumption it critiques.